Just A Heartbeat Away
by LilyGhost
Summary: Ranger once again comes through for Stephanie when she finds herself alone on Valentine's Day. Will dinner with Ranger lead to something more, or will she end up where she started ... alone?


**All characters belong to Janet. Any mistakes are mine. Happy Valentine's Day!**

I'm Stephanie Plum and I'm the dumbest person on the planet. Okay, maybe not the _planet_, but definitely the dumbest in Jersey. I broke up with my stupid boyfriend two weeks ago, not paying any attention to the date. We got into a fight about my life again and I, being the helpful person that I am, suggested a few places he could cram all of his opinions about me. I thought that we'd be back together again a few days later, because that's what always happened in the past, but this time neither one of us has made any attempt to fix our relationship. Or what had been left of one. I guess Joe wasn't going to forgive me for the names I'd chosen to call him that night. And now he's probably spending this holiday with someone who can't think for themselves and doesn't have as big of a mouth as I do. If he was ... then she could have him. I had better options out there. Ranger was the one I really wanted to be with, but in the future if I ever came to the conclusion that there was no chance of that happening, at least I could look for someone new who wouldn't continually pick me apart like Joe has been doing lately. Of course I wasn't ready to give up on Ranger, so a new man wasn't something I had to think about just yet. Right now I just had to face the fact that I was going to be alone on Valentine's Day. Joe and I didn't really do anything special beyond me picking up something from Pino's for dinner and Joe buying me flowers, but at least we were together. Apparently, we weren't this year. I wish that I could say that I felt bad about that, but really all I feel is relief. I just wish I would have waited until after the 'most romantic day of the year' had passed. I guess it'll just be me, Ben, and Jerry, tonight. The sad thing is that actually sounded like a really good date to me.

The locks on my door tumbled and my neck started tingling. A beat later, Ranger was standing in front of me.

"Babe."

"Hey, Ranger," I said to him, not at all surprised that he had just broken into my apartment. He does it a lot."What's up?"

He didn't say anything, he was just standing there watching me.

"What?" I asked, when I couldn't stand the silence any longer. I'm always the first one to cave when it came to a battle of wills between Ranger and I.

"What's wrong?" He asked me.

"Nothing," I told him."I caught Billington yesterday, my mother hasn't called in two days, and my cabinets are full of food for the first time in a month thanks to Billington. What_ could _be wrong?"

"Steph," Ranger said, leaning back against the counter, arms crossed. I knew what that meant. That was his _I can wait you out so you might as well save us both some time and tell me what's wrong _stance.

I blew out a sigh and caved again."Do you know what today is?" I asked him.

"Thursday."

I rolled my eyes at him."Jeez, Ranger, I thought you were aware of everything. It's_ Valentine's _Day."

"So?"

"So ... it's a day when you're supposed to be romanced and swept off your feet by someone who loves you." If you're the type of person to believe in that crap. Luckily, I'm not. At least, I don't think I am.

"And Morelli hasn't romanced you and swept you off your feet?" Ranger asked, one eyebrow raised.

I was pretty sure he was making fun of me, but Ranger was hard to read sometimes.

"Nope," I told him, looking back on my relationship with Joe."Now that I think about it, not once while we were together, either. Though pizza is _always_ good. And it looks like this year I'm on my own."

"What happened?"

"The usual," I told him, though I don't know why I did. Ranger's always telling me that either Morelli's an idiot, or that he's the better man for me. Boy was he ever wrong about Joe being the better man."He called _my _family insane, even though he's related to Bella. I get that my family is far from perfect, but Joe should know by now that _I'm_ the only one who gets to call them crazy. Joe also told me that I was a wreck, and that I'm too immature to be in a grown up relationship." And that one really pissed me off. How grown up do you have to be to give up your own life in order to watch someone else live theirs? If you have kids I can see needing to take care of them, but I wasn't planning on having kids. Not right away. And probably not _ever. _And Morelli being a 'grown' man still wanted me to quit my job, live in his house and take care of_ him _until I gave in and popped out a couple of kids that I'd then have to take care of, too. No way was that going to happen."Anyway, I told him to go do physically impossible things to himself and left."

Ranger's lips tipped up a little."Bet he enjoyed that."

"Not so much. And now I'm boyfriendless on Valentine's Day," I told him."Well, that's not exactly true. I've got Ben and Jerry fighting over me now."

Ranger didn't move, but I thought his eyes narrowed slightly."Who?"

"You need to live a little, Ranger," I told him, pulling the pint of Half Baked out of the freezer and showing him the label.

"Steph, you already have too many men in your life, you don't need to add more."

Yeah and my hips didn't need any more added to them, either, but this is a national holiday, so calories shouldn't count.

"And given that _Morelli _was your boyfriend, you're probably not going to miss much," Ranger said.

I laughed."You're right about that, but I should have waited to dump him."

"You thinking about calling him?" Ranger asked, his eyes locked on my face.

I swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous."No," I told Ranger."We were headed for a breakup anyway. And even if we tried to be civil to each other, we'd just end up spending the night fighting. It's better this way. At least we know it's over this time. No back and forth. We've been broken up for two weeks and I haven't seen Joe at all. And I haven't exactly felt the need to try to get him back, either. In fact, Joe and I seem to be avoiding each other, which is new for us. In the past I'd drive by his house, or he'd show up here, and we'd eventually make up. But this time seems different. When I was at the office this morning, Connie and Lula were discussing their plans for tonight and it occurred to me that _I_ didn't have any, and that I still didn't want to talk to Joe long enough to make some. It's awful to admit, but I haven't really missed him."

Ranger stared at me for a beat before pushing away from the counter.

"Go get ready," Ranger said to me."I'll be back in an hour to pick you up. You can wear that new dress you bought."

"Huh? What? Hey, wait a minute," I said."How do you know that I bought a new dress?"

His eyebrow went up for the second time.

"Right," I said to him."I forgot for a minute that you have snitches everywhere. I didn't say any of this to get a pity date, Ranger."

"Good, because you're not getting one."

That was reassuring."Where are we supposed to be going?"

"You'll see."

The Man of Mystery is back in the building.

I walked him to the door, feeling a little bit of excitement thinking about going on a fake date with Ranger. Okay, make that _a lot _of excitement.

He leaned in close and brushed a light kiss across my lips. And I, unfortunately, sighed against his mouth. The differences between us were obvious, because while I was mentally berating myself for letting Ranger cause that reaction, Ranger was smiling, enjoying the effect he has on me.

"Stop smiling," I told him, death glare in place.

His smile turned into a sexy grin."An hour, Babe," he said."Be ready."

"I will be," I said before I could shut myself up.

He gave me a head to toe heated look and then was gone.

"Whew," I whispered to the now empty doorway. I closed the door and walked back to the kitchen, wondering what the hell I'd just gotten myself into.

I took a shower and didn't skimp on any part of getting ready. I shaved, exfoliated, and moisterized. I'd given myself a pedicure last night so I only had my fingernails to worry about. Not that Ranger would be seeing my toes, but I wanted to look good from top to bottom tonight. I knew Ranger felt sorry for me, and was taking me to dinner just to be nice, so I tried not to let myself read more into it than that. It would hurt too much if I did only for us to be back to being just friends tomorrow. That being said, I was enjoying the process of getting dressed for areal/fake date. Morelli and I had gone out a bunch of times, but it was usually only to Pino's after work. The last time I remember going to this much trouble for Joe was when he asked me to go to his cousins' wedding with him. And that didn't turn out the way I had expected it to. Or maybe it had, looking back on it. That night summed up our relationship. I was indecisive, and Morelli was expecting something he didn't end up getting. No wonder we weren't running back to each other now. We're still in the same place as we were back then. We haven't changed at all. And we couldn't get the other one to, either. I shook my head at just how far my thoughts had gotten away from me. I should be focusing on my immediate problems, like my hair. I put some anti-frizz goop in it, grabbed the hair dryer, and went to work.

Forty-five minutes later, I was done and happy with the results. My hair was still curly, but I managed to pin it up, restraining it in my attempt at an updo. I had my little CZ studs in my ears, my nails were done in a neutral pinky-beige color that wouldn't compete with my dress, which was a lipstick red shift dress. It didn't show a lot of skin, but it hugged my body from my shoulders to four inches above my knees. It was sleeveless and made from a soft but slinky fabric that gave the illusion of a cinched-in waist, drawing your eye there so I looked like I had an hour-glass figure. It was the type of dress that you couldn't help but feel good in. I paired it with barely there black pumps with 4 and a 1/2 inch heels. I took a little longer deciding on what makeup I was going to put on. Minimal, or go for it? I went for it. I picked a red lipstick that looked good on me and worked well with the dress, and stuck to mascara, eyeliner, and not too dark shadows for my eyes. There's a fine line between glamorous and hooker and I didn't want to cross it.

I kept telling myself that this wasn't technically a 'date', but it sort of felt like one. I was a little nervous. I'd taken longer than I should have to get dressed just for dinner out with a friend. And I kept sneaking peeks at the clock, mentally counting down how long I had to wait until Ranger came back to get me. I was pathetic. That was the one and only thing Joe trumped Ranger on. Joe has made no secret about what he wanted from me. It wasn't what I wanted, and he didn't appear to listen when I told him that, but at least he was open about it. Ranger has kept his true feelings for me as secret as the government probably kept his identity. But the rare times when I helped him with a job that required us to act like a couple, I'd had fun pretending we were one. Of course, it didn't feel so great when Ranger said goodnight and left me at the end of it, but even Ranger seemed to have had a good time himself on those particular jobs until reality came back to us in the lot of my apartment building. Okay, Stephanie, time to woman up and enjoy the time you _will_ get to spend with him. No sense ruining the night before it even had a chance to get started.

Just as I was finishing up my pep-talk there was a knock on my door. Ranger didn't knock. Oh shit! It couldn't be Joe, could it? If it was, this had the potential to be bad. Very, _very_, bad. I couldn't even grab a bathrobe to cover myself up. My hair and red lips would be a dead giveaway. Crap, crap, crap, I repeated as I left my bedroom and walked into the kitchen, debating what to do. Ranger was going to be here in a few minutes. He was never late. And as I looked at the clock on my microwave, I saw that I had five minutes to get Joe out of here without crying and messing up my carefully applied makeup. I really needed to find a place with a back door, I thought to myself. My fire escape was hard enough to climb down. Never mind trying to do it in a tight dress and stilettos.

"Stephanie," I heard Morelli say from the hall,"I know you're in there, so just open the damn door."

Sure I'd be here. Where else _would _I be? It's not like it would ever occur to Joe that another man would be interested enough to ask me out on Valentine's Day. But one did. Sure it was mostly out of pity, but it still counted. And if I was telling _myself _not to ruin tonight, I wasn't about to let Morelli do it.

I took a deep breath and opened my door."What do you want, Joe?" I asked him.

He looked me over and his pupils dilated black. Take that, Joe! All this effort is for someone else. I even managed to stop myself from saying it out loud. Whose the grown up now?

His eyes came back up to my face."Do we have plans I forgot about?" He asked.

I blew out a sigh. Same old Joe."No," I told him, congratulating myself for not yelling it."We don't have plans. And we didn't make plans because we broke up and haven't spoken to each other in weeks."

"Then what's all this about?" He asked, his hand gesturing to my outfit."You going out with Lula and Connie?"

"No, they both have dates," I said to him."And so do I."

His eyes got hard and his mouth thinned."With who?"

"With me," Ranger said, walking in behind Joe.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Joe said. His tone made it clear just how pissed off he was."Stephanie, you're not seriously going to do this shit again, are you?"

"Do what?"

"We fight," Joe said,"you run to Ranger. He consoles you for a night or two then says he isn't cut out for a relationship, and you cry for a couple of days and then come back to me."

I might have taken a swing at him, but it was too close to the truth to take offense, and all three of us knew it.

"We didn't just_ fight_," I told him, calmly, yelling wasn't going help the situation."We ended our relationship." I looked at Ranger."I don't suppose you'd give us a minute here?" I asked him.

"No," Ranger said. He stood next to me and folded his arms across his chest again. Standard Rangeman bodyguard pose. I was momentarily distracted by the movement, because I could see that underneath his unbuttoned coat, Ranger was wearing an expensive, tailored black suit with a white shirt and black tie. And the suit, combined with the dressier jacket and folded arms, made his already impressive chest look even more so. Yum.

"Jesus Christ, Stephanie," Morelli said, his voice close to a growl,"I'm standing right here!"

Yeah, and wasn't that a shame."Which brings me back to my original question. What do you want?"

"It's Valentine's Day," he said as if that explained why he just showed up at my apartment out of the blue.

"I'm aware of what day it is," I told him,"but we haven't seen or spoken to each other in two whole weeks, Joe. I just assumed that you'd cut your losses and moved on."

"What I said didn't mean anything," Joe said to me.

"Oh, really?" I asked."Then why am I only now hearing from you?"

"I've been busy," Joe said.

And that's when it hit me. We wouldn't ever work as a couple even if I could force myself to go along with everything he wanted me to. He'd still think of me last. I was just a tool to provide_ him _with what _he_ wanted. Joe wanted a wife, and he just happened to have stayed with me longer than anyone else, so I was the easiest and most logical choice. He wanted children, and I had an available uterus. He wanted his house looked after, and he probably thought that since my mother was perfect at keeping one she'd be able to show me the ropes. I can't believe I didn't see this sooner. It took him admitting that our relationship wasn't important enough to talk about, that _I_ wasn't important enough to talk _to_, until he could work me into his 'busy' schedule. The freakin' jerk.

"Babe?" Ranger said.

I snapped out of it and was looking straight into Ranger's eyes.

"Are you all right?" He asked, his eyes searching my face.

I blew out a sigh."Yeah, I am. I just finally figured out what was wrong with me."

"It's about time," Joe said."You ready to admit that I'm right?"

Fat chance."No. I'm ready to go."

"Where are we going?" Joe asked me.

"Not_ you_, Joe," I told him."Ranger asked me to go to dinner with him and I'm ready to leave."

"Are you sure?" Ranger asked.

"Yes," I said, and went to grab the coat that I'd hung on the hook by the front door.

"Wait one fucking minute," Joe said, biting out every word."You're not going anywhere."

"We broke up, Joe. That was as much your decision as mine," I told him."I'm now free to do whatever the hell I want. And right now I want to go to dinner with Ranger."

I could see Ranger's lips twitch out of the corner of my eye, but he didn't let his amusement show anymore than that.

"Are you so desperate to get back at me that you'd let him use you again?"

Ranger's good mood was gone and he took a step towards Joe.

I put my hand on his arm."It's okay, Ranger," I told him."I can handle this. Don't give him a reason to arrest you."

"He couldn't if he tried, Babe."

"I know you think highly of yourself, Manoso," Joe said to him,"but even _you_ can't get out of assaulting a police officer."

"You're not here as a police officer," Ranger said."And do you really want to risk the embarrassment of trying to take me in? I'm sure your boss and the Governor would be real interested in hearing your reasons for doing it."

"You're such a fucking asshole."

"But I'm an asshole with connections," Ranger told him,"you may want to remember that before you threaten me again."

"Both of you, stop it," I told them."Joe, just leave. We have nothing left to say to each other. The least we can do is end things without resorting to calling each other names."

"I'm not calling _you_ names," Joe pointed out.

"You did that night," I told him,"and I haven't forgotten them."

"You're not exactly innocent there, either, Cupcake."

"I know," I had called him a few doozies,"but I didn't show up at your house to start it all over again. I'm sorry it's come to this, but I can't change who I am anymore than you can change what you want from me. And no amount of fighting is going to solve that problem. It'd be better if we just agree that we were right, and that we shouldn't be together."

"You're willing to throw us away for _him_?" Joe asked.

"No," I told him."We've been over for a while, but we never had the guts to end it before."

"You don't mean that," Joe said to me.

"Don't tell me what I mean."

"I'm not," he said.

I was acutely aware that we were doing this in front of Ranger. It was sad and more than a little humiliating, but Joe wasn't making this easy. If the Stephanie Plum and Joseph Morelli years were over, then he was going to make sure we went out with a bang.

"_Yes_, you are," I said."And I don't want to have the same argument day after day. We don't belong together and you know it as well as I do. You're just being difficult. You lived without me for two weeks and it didn't seem to bother you any."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" I asked.

"Be reasonable, Cupcake," he said to me."You're only saying this because_ he's _standing here."

"Ranger doesn't have anything to do with this particular conversation," I told him.

"Yeah, right."

"Believe what you want, Joe," I told him."I really don't care. But Ranger and I have plans, so lock the door on your way out."

I'd managed to get my jacket, and one arm through the sleeve, when Joe grabbed my arm. He wasn't hurting me, but Ranger broke his silence.

"Hands off, Morelli," he told Joe.

"Stay out of this," Joe said to Ranger.

"Not possible. I'm in the middle of it."

"And you've been in the middle of us since the day she met you," Joe told him.

"Joe ..."

"She's _my_ date tonight," Ranger told Joe in a voice that has made half of Trenton pee themselves,"and I'm not going to watch her get manhandled."

"Fuck off, Manoso," Joe said."I'm not going to hurt her."

Ranger studied my face before speaking again."Looks like you already have."

This was getting way out of hand."Joe let me go," I told him."I'm not talking about this anymore. If you can't accept that we're over, then that's_ your _problem not mine."

He released my arm."Steph ..."

"Forget it, Joe, that tone won't work on me. We've been through this," I told him."I'm not quitting my job. I'm not getting married anytime in the near future. And I don't want kids. Are you willing to give all that up to be with me?" I could already see the answer on his face, he didn't have to say anything."I didn't think so." It was okay to demand that I give up what I want, but it was inconceivable for him to give up his dreams for me.

I finished putting my coat on, picked up my little bag that thankfully I'd remembered to bring with me when Joe knocked, and turned to Ranger.

"I'm ready," I said to him.

He looked at me for a solid minute before following me to the door. I opened it and didn't look back as I walked to the elevator.

Ranger was right behind me."Is it okay to leave him alone in your apartment?" He asked me."I can remove him."

"It's fine," I told him, stepping into the elevator."He won't do anything."

Ranger hit the button for the first floor."If you're sure."

"If he touches Rex, he knows I'd take his balls off, but Joe isn't that type of guy," I told Ranger. He may act like a jerk, but Joe isn't abusive."And I've got nothing left to break in there. Joe will be angry for a day or two until he realizes that I'm right and starts looking for my replacement."

"Haven't I told you that there's no replacing you?" Ranger said to me.

"Yeah, you have," I said to him."And I still think you're full of crap."

Ranger smiled."Are you sure you still want to go out?" Ranger asked me."We can rain-check this."

"No," I said to him."I didn't put all this effort into getting dressed up just to end up eating Cheez Doodles and ice cream in front of my television."

"I didn't get to say it earlier, Babe," Ranger said,"but you look beautiful."

"Thank you." And I smiled for the first time since Morelli showed up."You look beautiful, too."

"Steph,menaren't supposed to look_ beautiful_," he told me.

"Then you shouldn't have worn that suit, because you_ do _look beautiful in it."

He smiled wider and my stupid heart skipped a beat. The elevator doors opened and we headed to his Turbo. I made the mistake of looking up at my apartment and saw Joe watching us from my living room window. You can feel shitty about hurting him later, I told myself, just enjoy the next few hours because you'll no doubt have plenty of alone time afterwards to feel bad. I wasn't sorry about ending things, but I_ was _sorry about hurting Joe, especially in front of Ranger. He didn't leave me any other option, though. I didn't want to drag things out for another two weeks.

Ranger opened my door for me and held onto it until I was settled into his plush passenger seat. He shut the door, walked around the front of the car, and slid behind the wheel. He started the Turbo and pulled out of my lot. I didn't ask him where we were going, and he didn't offer up the information.

"Did you mean what you said?" Ranger asked me a few minutes later.

"About what?"

"About you two breaking up."

"We've been broken up for weeks," I reminded him.

"Morelli didn't seem to believe that."

"He was happy with a Stephanie-free life for fourteen days. And though I was nice enough not to tell Joe, I was just as happy not to contact him," I said to Ranger."To me, that sounds like we both knew we were doing the right thing."

It was best if I didn't think about the times Ranger had to leave town and I got antsy if I didn't hear from him in a few hours. Sometimes less than that.

"You were pretty calm up there," Ranger told me.

"Yep," I said."The only time Joe seems to really listen to what I'm saying is when I'm not screaming it. That was my mistake last time. Hopefully, what I said will get through to him. Can we not talk about him anymore? I'm ready to put him behind me. Damn, I'm going to miss Bob, though."

Ranger smiled again and concentrated on driving us to where ever the heck we were going. It turned out to be an upscale Italian restaurant outside of Trenton. It was a stone building with floor to ceiling windows taking up most of the front of it. The restaurant wasn't huge, but it screamed _elegant _and _pricey_. Ranger parked in the lot next to the restaurant, and I was so busy checking the place out that I didn't notice he left the Turbo until he was already standing at my side of the car. I pushed open the door and Ranger offered me his hand.

I'd always wondered what Ranger would be like on a date, and now I finally got to experience it myself. And he was using every ounce of his considerable charm on me tonight. He feels sorry for you, Stephanie, don't get sucked into believing it's more than that, I reminded myself for the hundredth time. I was doing a good job of sticking to that until I touched him. As soon as his hand surrounded mine, I was afraid I was toast. My heart, pride, and ego, be damned.

"This place is incredible," I said to Ranger, trying to distract myself from my own thoughts. And it _was_ incredible. I caught a glimpse of the inside through the windows, and saw tuxedo clad waiters carrying silver trays to their tables as we walked to the entrance.

"A friend of one of my clients owns it," Ranger said to me.

"Really? I'd like to have your contacts."

"You already benefit from most of them, Babe."

"True," I said."Have I thanked you for that?"

"In one way or another," Ranger said.

He got the door for me and placed his hand at the small of my back as we walked in. We checked our coats and I was pleased to see Ranger checking _me_ out when I removed mine. I was glad I wore this dress for Ranger. Morelli didn't deserve this dress. As soon as our coats were gone we were immediately shown to our table. The inside of the restaurant was painted a color somewhere between off-white and a very pale beige. And all the wood tables, chairs, and trim were dark, almost looking black from a distance. The tables were covered with white linen tablecloths, with lit candles and a red rose on every one. The chandeliers and wall sconces added to the romance of the place. It's a good thing I didn't know about this restaurant before, or I might have been out a lot of money by now. I could almost taste the hundred dollar wine like Ranger has at his apartment, though I hope he didn't order any tonight. I knew Ranger wouldn't let me pay, and I didn't want to become a charity case on top of being a pity date.

We were seated and both handed menus. I paled when I saw the prices. This was a far cry from Pino's. I wasn't aware that Ranger had been watching me.

"Don't worry about it, Babe," he said."Order anything you want."

"Even if it'll clog my arteries and eventually kill me?"

"I'll let it pass tonight," Ranger said to me.

Boy, he must _really_ feel bad for me to let the opportunity for a food lecture go. I mentally rolled my eyes before focusing on the menu.

The menu was written in Italian, and since the only Italian I knew was spoken with my hands, I had to rely on the few words I recognized. I ordered Shrimp Oreganata for an appetizer. I felt confident that it contained shrimp and nothing else too scary, and Ranger had a salad. He chose a Cabernet Sauvignon for us to drink. He held onto the price list for that so I wouldn't see what it cost per glass. For dinner, Ranger chose a chicken dish with artichokes and mushrooms and I, of course, picked the Alfredo. I figured if I'd just shed 180 pounds of Italian libido, then I may as well gain back four of them with dinner. It did have peas in the sauce so I at least ate one serving of vegetables. For dessert, I had Tiramisu and Ranger had coffee.

The food was delicious and Ranger was good company. I quickly forgot about the fight with Joe when I realized that Ranger was going to actually answer the questions I asked him. His mother was like mine in that she wanted to hear from him at least once a week, even if it wasn't in person. As long as Mama Manoso got a phone call she was happy. Lucky him. My mother wanted a promise signed in blood for a weekly dinner. Ranger has known Tank, Bobby, and Lester, since he enlisted in the Army. Which didn't really surprise me. He seemed to be closer to them than to some of the other guys like Hal or Zero. He sees Julie at least once a month now after what happened with her and Scrog. I was really happy to hear that. He hadn't given Julie the chance to get to know him before. The kidnapping, which led to Ranger getting shot, had been a nightmare to go through, but at least it brought them closer if nothing else.

"Julie seemed to care a lot about you," I said to him, thinking about how she stood up to the police when they tried to separate them to take Ranger to the hospital,"even if you weren't completely a part of her life at the time."

"She's a good kid," Ranger said, a small smile on his lips."Rachel and Ron have done an exceptional job raising her."

"I can't wait to see what happens when she starts dating." I thought back to my father's reaction when both Valerie and I had asked for permission to go out on a date for the first time.

"Ron and I discussed it," Ranger told me,"and we're both on the same page. No dating."

I smiled at him."That is such a guy answer. Boys are encouraged to perfect their moves early on, and girls are threatened with a convent," I said to him."A complete double standard. Girls wouldn't have to worry so much if boys were treated the same way."

"Babe, I was a boy once," Ranger said,"and I can say with complete authority that we're all trouble.

I rolled my eyes at him."When _don't_ you speak with complete authority?"

He didn't bother answering, since we both knew the answer. Never.

"What does Rachel think about it?" I asked, getting back to Julie.

"Rachel is okay with Julie dating at sixteen, but Ron has promised to work on her."

I burst out laughing, thinking about Mercenary Ranger discussing his daughter's dating future with Ron. Luckily I'd already put my glass down, otherwise the pristine linen tablecloth would have looked like one of those paintings with the giant splatters of color.

"Laugh it up, Babe," Ranger said to me.

"I can't help it," I told him, drying my eyes on my napkin, thinking that I was smart for choosing waterproof mascara for tonight."You take down hostile governments for a living, but you're scared of your daughter growing up?"

Ranger didn't look nearly as amused as I was.

"She's had to grow up so fast already, she doesn't need to add boys into the mix."

"But she will," I told him."And given the fact that she has your genes, she's going to be irresistible."

"Glad to hear that you think I'm irresistible, Babe," he said.

"You know what I mean," I said, not wanting to get too much into my feelings for him.

Ranger pulled out a card and slipped it next to the bill.

"Ranger ..."

"I asked _you_ out, Steph," Ranger told me,"and that means I pay."

"But I can ..."

"No," he said. And handed the check to the waiter before I could say anything else.

I took the last sip of my wine and Ranger finished his coffee while we waited for his card to come back. When it did, Ranger pocketed it and stood. He was at my chair before I even had a chance to put my napkin on the table. I could really get used to this. Too bad it was almost over.

Ranger got our coats and we headed back to his car. I had to stop myself from suggesting somewhere else to stop on the way back to Trenton just to keep the evening from ending. But if Ranger wasn't going to try to prolong our time together, then I wasn't going to either.

We were quiet as he drove us back to my apartment. The night had been great with the exception of Morelli's appearance, and the knowledge that I was definitely single and was most likely going to be alone for a long time. I actually thought that if things were over with Joe, and Ranger wasn't an option, at least I'd be free to find someone else. Now I realize just how dumb I'd been. No one would be able to take Ranger's place. He was irreplaceable, too. I've loved both Joe and Ranger for so long, that I now felt like I'd lost them both on the same night. I knew Ranger and I would always be friends, but tonight felt like the start of something bigger and it was now coming to an end. And the loss of our potential relationship hurt more than severing the real one I had with Morelli. I had to look up at the roof of the car for a moment, praying the tears that filled my eyes would roll back into my head.

Ranger cut his eyes to me."Is something wrong, Babe?" He asked me.

"Nope," I said to him."I had a really good time tonight."

Fortunately for me, Ranger's usual ESP seemed to be on the fritz, or maybe it was just that he had to pay attention to the traffic in front of us so he wasn't able to focus solely on my changing moods. He pulled into my lot twenty minutes later and parked next to my car. The light was now off in my apartment, but I didn't really want to go up. Now that there was no other distractions, Ranger seemed to sense a little of what I was feeling.

"I'm going to go up with you," he told me,"and make sure Morelli isn't in there waiting for you."

"Joe wouldn't do that," I told Ranger."He'd go home and stew for a while and then come back."

Ranger took the keys out of the ignition and I blew out a sigh. He was coming up with me whether I liked it or not. And that was the problem. I liked the thought of him coming up with me_ too _much. And I was afraid that I was about to get hurt the same way I hurt Morelli earlier.

We got into the elevator and Ranger took my keys from me while we walked to my apartment. He unlocked my door and did a thorough sweep of my living room, bedroom, and bathroom. All of them were Morelli-free, just like I told Ranger they'd be. They were also stalker-free which was an added bonus.

He gave my keys back to me and I shrugged my coat off. I noticed that Ranger didn't remove his. The little voice in my head couldn't help saying_ 'I told you so' _over and over again until my head started to throb. I dropped the keys into my bag so I wouldn't lose them, and turned to Ranger.

"Thank you, Babe," he said.

"For what?" I asked.

"For having dinner with me."

"Shouldn't_ I _be the one thanking_ you_?" I said to him."You suggested going out in the first place. Drove us there. And then paid for it."

"It isn't about the money," Ranger said."It never was." His attention shifted to my lips a second before he kissed me. It wasn't an _I'm going to take you right here, right now _kind of kiss, but boy did I want it to be. Ranger lifted his head and looked down into my eyes.

"Goodnight, Babe," he said quietly, his eyes not leaving my face.

"You're leaving?"

"Don't you want me to?" He asked.

I surprised both of us at how quickly I answered. And Ranger more so by the answer I gave him.

"No." There I said it. I couldn't take it back. Not that I wanted to. Tomorrow morning may be a different story, though, but tonight I knew exactly what I needed. Ranger with me.

Ranger slowly lowered his head back to mine, giving me plenty of time to stop him. I didn't. Not only did I not stop him, I reached up and grabbed his head with both of my hands and pulled him closer. When we finally let go of each other, and came up for some much needed air, Ranger pulled back and spoke.

"Is this really what you want, Steph?" He asked me, staring directly into my eyes, probably looking for any indecision in them."Because if I stay, I'm going to be in your bed making love to you until neither of us can walk."

Good. Less chance of him leaving in the middle of the night that way.

"I'm definitely fine with that plan. _More_ than fine, actually," I told him, and pressed my mouth to his again.

He deepened the kiss and moved us to the bedroom without breaking it. My sexy dress hit the floor along with Ranger's thousand dollar suit. His hands went to my hair, releasing my mess of curls, which had stayed in place until Ranger's fingers ran through them.

We spent the night in each other's arms, legs tangled together, and our mouths barely resting. When Ranger warns you about something it's best to listen to him. It turned out to be a happy Valentine's day, or should I say _night, _for both of us. I was sure of _that much _at least, until I woke up hours later to an empty bed. Figures, Cinderella had her night at the ball and now she was back to her life of drudgery. I couldn't even blame him. I was the one who told him not to leave. It was my own damn fault. No guy is going to walk away from a night of sex if it was offered to him. A tear rolled down my cheek before I could stop it. You're thirty years old, Stephanie, I said to myself, you're not some teenage girl with her first crush. You knew what the deal was before you asked Ranger to stay. If he wanted to leave you, then you had to let him. Another tear escaped as I really thought about that. I wanted to be able to let go of him if he didn't want to be with me. It wasn't exactly helping my confidence any to be walked out on repeatedly, but it was hard to think about giving Ranger up because, over the course of the night, I realized just how much I love him. And not the Morelli kind of love, either. The happily ever after kind, where we'd work together, sleep together, and grow old together. Okay, maybe I _was_ a girl with her first crush. Ranger didn't strike me as the rocking chair kind of guy. But the thing is, I'm not that kind of woman, either. So it made my feelings even more confusing, because I honestly thought we were both screwed up enough to make a relationship work between us.

Just as I was calling myself seven different kinds of fool, Ranger walked back into my bedroom wearing only his unbuttoned suit pants. And just like that my inner teenager shrieked loudly. Apparently, I was never going to learn this particular lesson.

"I thought you left," I said to him, leaning up on my elbows with the sheet tucked under my arms, hoping my voice didn't sound like I was seconds away from a two day crying jag. Damn Joe for saying that, and for being right about my reaction. I quickly wiped at my eyes before Ranger had a chance to see my damp eyelashes.

"Why would you think that?" He asked.

I didn't say anything for a full two seconds.

"Steph, that was a long time ago," he said, his voice gentle."I wasn't ready then."

"Ready for what?"

"Ready to admit how much you mean to me," he said, sitting down next to me on the bed."To myself, or to you."

"And you are now?" I asked him.

"Yes."

That was it. He didn't say anything else to me.

"Well?" I said to him.

His lips lifted in a small grin."I love you, Steph," he told me."And I don't want to leave you again."

"That makes me feel better," I said,"because I never want you to." I leaned forward to kiss him, but stopped halfway."Not so fast. How come I woke up alone then?" I didn't want to sound bitchy, but it would have been nice to snuggle into him while I was waking up instead of panicking because I thought he took off while I was sleeping.

"I needed something from my apartment," Ranger said to me,"and I didn't want to be away from you in the time it would take to get there and back, so I called Tank to bring it over to me."

If Ranger answered the door like that, then there was no doubt that everyone knew about us now. I was a little embarrassed, but also extremely happy at the same time. Ranger is a private person, and if he was willing to let Tank see that we'd spent the night together it had to mean something, right?

"You called Tank in the middle of the night?" I asked him, wondering what was so important that it couldn't wait until later.

"It's morning, Babe."

"Barely."

"I wasn't sure when to give this to you, or even if I should ..."

"Wait, you had Tank rush over here with something for me?" I asked, sitting up straighter.

"Yes," he said."Things have changed between us and I thought this morning would be a good time for you to have it."

"Is it a Valentine's Day gift?" I asked him."Because last night was more than enough, Ranger. You didn't have to get me anything else."

"It isn't a Valentine's Day gift, Steph, " he said."I've actually had this for a while."

Uh-oh. "But I didn't get you anything ..."

"Doesn't matter, Stephanie. You gave me the one thing I thought I'd never have."

"And what's that?"

"A second chance with you. I knew telling you that we wouldn't work was a mistake, one that I regret making, but it does make last night even sweeter."

And he handed me a small rectangular box. It wasn't wrapped, and I could tell right away that it came from someplace other than Target.

"You can open it, Babe," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice."I promise it isn't booby-trapped."

That broke the seriousness of the moment. I hiked up the sheet that was still covering me and took the cover off the box. My eyes went as bug-eyed as Lula's as I looked at the necklace that was inside. It was a square sapphire pendant, a similar color to my eyes, on a thin chain with three little diamonds that formed a triangle above the square gem, with a delicate V-shaped bale connecting the pendant to the chain. It was no bigger than a half an inch, and it was stunning. I lifted my eyes from it to Ranger, but I couldn't come up with anything to say.

Ranger smiled at me. And that smile combined with the unbuttoned pants, and acre of warm mocha skin near me, was enough to make me forget all about the jewelry.

He took the box out of my hands and separated the chain from the velvet that was securing it.

"Come here, Babe," Ranger said, lifting the necklace.

Everyone knew you didn't argue with Ranger. I scooted closer to him and turned so he could move my hair to the side and fasten the necklace around my neck. The pendant settled between my collar bones at the base of my throat.

"It looks even better on you," Ranger said, and pressed a kiss to my neck above it.

"This is too much, Ranger," I said to him. He'd spent a lot of money on something he wasn't sure he'd ever give me.

"No, Steph," he said,"it isn't nearly enough."

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does to me," I told him.

"Do you know when I bought this?" He asked me.

"Um, no," I said, but I did try to figure out when he did. He could have run out and bought it after he left my apartment, or had someone else get it while he was getting changed, but I doubted it. And he did say that he's had it for a while.

"I bought it in Boston while I was scouting out possible buildings to buy."

"Oh." He never said when he started the Boston branch of Rangeman, but I knew it'd been open for quite a while now.

"I saw it in the window of a jewelry store, and this particular shade of blue reminded me of you, and I was inside the store before I even thought about buying it. I didn't think it was an appropriate gift while you were with Morelli, but after last night you wearing it just feels right."

"Ranger when did you buy this?" I asked him. It suddenly seemed really important to know.

His eyes were unwavering when they met mine."Two weeks after Connie called me and said that Vinnie hired a new bounty hunter that needed my help."

My mouth went dry and I got a little light-headed. He bought this because it reminded him of me? And he's held onto it through all my near deaths, the ups and downs of our platonic/not-so-platonic friendship, and my on again phases with Morelli? It was almost like he'd been holding out hope for us, too. My eyes became watery, but I didn't want to ruin the moment by having to go to the bathroom to blow my nose, so I blocked out everything except the man sitting next to me.

"I love it, Ranger. And I love_ you_," I told him for the first time. I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the curve of his bare shoulder. At dinner I'd felt romanced. Then late into the night I felt well loved. And now the morning after, if I wasn't already sitting naked in bed, my feet would have definitely been swept out from underneath me. And at that moment I knew that I was never going to take my necklace off, and I wasn'tgoing to have to contemplate letting go of Ranger_ ever _again.


End file.
